N$200m waterfront upgrade comes to reality

Mon, 8 July 2013 02:44
by Tirivangani MasawiBusiness

Lüderitz Waterfront chief executive officer, Fluksman Samuehl has expressed optimism in the constriction of the more than N$200m saying it has potential to create employment for the Karas Region and bring the much needed development in the area.
The upgrading of the waterfront which is arguably the largest of its kind in the Southern part of the country in terms of funding and possible spin-off benefits to the community is already under construction.
“The upgrading and renovation of the Old Power Station Project comes with the price tag of N$230m and it is expected to be completed over a period of 27 months.
“Please note that on 17 June 2013, Lüderitz Waterfront has handed over site to the contractor to commence building works on the Old Power Station building.
“On 1 July 2013, Outjo-based Nexus contractor trucked in cranes and other massive building equipment to the site. This has attracted many local on-lookers as well as job seekers who descended on the site with the hope of securing employment,” Samuehl said in a statement.
Karas Region has somewhat been lagging behind in terms of development as compared to other parts of the country like the north and the north east which now have a university facility while the north east has seen the introduction of a flourishing green scheme introduced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry.
According to Samuehl, the Old Power Station building will house the first ever fully-fledged Polytechnic of Namibia satellite camp, indoor and outdoor sports centre including other youth friendly facilities as well as a state of the art maritime museum.
“The museum of the sea is set to become a major draw card for tourism and an added leisure activity. The Lüderitz Waterfront has been successful in attracting the participation of various ministries into the project.
“The Karas Region has not seen a major project of this magnitude and scale over the last 10 years,” he said adding: “This project is expected to inject new impetus into a town that is traditionally known for fishing and limited mining activities now set to become a student community with major downstream economic activities,” Samuehl said.
He also added that it is the view of the Lüderitz Waterfront to promote projects that not only strengthen its income stream but also projects that will be able to strengthen the town’s ability to attract and retain professionals, a key aspect to ensure sustainability of commercial projects.
“We are, therefore, delighted and confident that this project will be able to take the harbour town of Lüderitz to the next level of development with immense socio-economic benefits to the Karas Region,” he said.